EU Mulls Curbs On China’s Medical Device Market

The European Commission launched an investigation in April into China’s devices market amid claims of unfair practices.

A European Union flag flutters outside the EU Commission headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium, on Feb. 1, 2023 Yves Herman/Reuters

The European Union has considered backing a proposal to limit Chinese medical device suppliers’ participation in bids for public contracts, after finding member states’ companies were not given fair access to China’s public tenders.

The measures proposed on June 2 by the European Commission will be the first under the EU’s International Procurement Instrument (IPI) regulation, adopted in 2022, which aims to ensure fair access for European companies to other countries’ public contracts.